Years ago, the US State Department officially protested to the German government after its permanent secretary, Juergen Chrobog, in a private meeting with his diplomats assigned to Washington warned them to conduct themselves carefully, to ever be mindful that the USA were "a police state."

Events since 9-11 have only made these matters worse. If you have the wrong name, one shared with someone on our watch lists, like the Canadian Maher Arar you can be dissappeared into our brave new Gulag. Perhaps even rendered to some torture camp. At the minimum you will be fingerprinted and questioned by police as if you were expected to engage in some sort of criminality. Florida is not worth it.

The same climate can be enjoyed in Cuba, your money will go further there, and you will be enthusiastically welcomed by both a grateful government and an educated and gentle people. Your own fellow-Commonwealth States in the Windward Islands, or your own possessions like the British Virgin Islands will make you equally welcome. Trinidad and Tobago enjoy the best of air-connections to the British Isles, fine accomodations, and anyway, the beer and the rum will be better in all these places.

Just as many British subjects aided in the project to boycott South Africa in the days of her criminal apartheid government so also should you consider the same vis a vis the rogue element now ruling the USA.

Other problems you may have here, especially the elderly, is to become enmeshed in the toils of our for-profit health system. I have known of British sailors becoming liable for thousands of pounds in medical expenses due to being unwise enough to fall ill or to be injured while visiting the States.

We are afflicted here also by millions of heavily armed idiots, on both sides of the law, running around loose with automatic firearms.

Now, even those with the most lily-white complexions, with the most Anglo of names, can expect to be treated as potential terrorists.

Why hassle it?

Chris Herz
Washington Correspondant,
Vheadline.com